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A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
Published on: August 17, 2016
A step-by-step strategy to design active and stable quaternary intermetallic compounds for the hydrogen evolution
Tong-Tong Hao1, Yu-Qing Yang1, Yuan-Yuan Sun1
1College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, China. syy@yzu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Multinary intermetallic compounds with rich chemical compositions enable one to achieve a logical design for desired materials based on the required function. In this work, we have demonstrated a step-by-step strategy to design a quaternary intermetallic compound that exhibits highly active and stable performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). With binary intermetallic TaCo2 as the starting point, the minor inclusion of a ductile Cu element in TaCo2 to form ternary TaCu0.25Co1.75 can substantially lower the degradation rate from ca. 20% to 5% after sintering treatment (i.e., enhance connectivity between particles). However, the overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 (η10) increases by ca. 20 mV from TaCo2 to TaCu0.25Co1.75. Further incorporation of a HER active Ru element to cast quaternary TaCu0.125Ru0.125Co1.75 can decrease ca. 70 mV of η10 while maintaining long-term stability. This proves that one can design functional intermetallic compounds intentionally, which may be extended to different fields of application.
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